Page 58 - Print 21 Sep-Oct 2019

PrintEx
Fujifilm highlights speed and quality with Acuity Ultra
PRINT21 PANEL: The R+D behind imaging giant Fujifilm is enormous, manifest in the Acuity Ultra in multiple areas, including precision developments in
the waveform of the ink as it is projected out of the nozzle. The science has optimised the dot so that when it hits the media it performs predictably. This
means Fujifilm can send down a tiny 3.5pl dot, which is where the quality comes from, and at blistering speed. No wonder the Acuity Ultra is being installed by
increased size and quality to make the production of high-end interior graphics more profitable. Built around Fujifilm’s UV cured inkjet technologies, it offers almost photographic levels of quality, with tighter registration and higher production speeds, at a cost that it says is set to shake up the super-wide format marketplace.
Available in both five-metre and 3.2-metre models, the Acuity Ultra is available with up to eight colour channels, using a new, high-quality, low film weight Uvijet GS Fujifilm ink. Greenguard approved, Fujifilm says this ink has been especially designed to deliver the highest quality, and is fully emission-compliant for interior graphic display work.
With a 3.5pl drop size ensuring what the company says is the highest possible quality, the Acuity Ultra is aimed at the high-end indoor display market, especially for luxury brands, with the quality comparable with litho and leading water-based ink systems.
Based around conventional UV technology, it also runs at higher speeds than LED cured machines – but as the vacuum table is efficiently water-cooled, there is not an excessive build-up of heat on the print plate, meaning no shrinkage and no issues with heat sensitive materials.
With a throughput of up to 236sqm per hour, the Acuity Ultra is capable of printing on three rolls simultaneously, in thicknesses from 0.1mm to 2mm. 21
HOT PICK: Fujifilm Acuity Ultra
some of the country’s leading wide format houses.
Troy Neighbour at Fujifilm receives the Acuity Ultra Hot Pick award
Fujifilm showed its new Acuity Ultra, which it describes as a “high quality, cost-effective, super-wide UV platform for the production of high-
end interior graphics and outdoor signage” as the centrepiece of its stand.
Troy Neighbour, senior product manager at Fujifilm said, “The Acuity Ultra achieves both speed and quality thanks to the R+D that Fujifilm has put into the ink and
head dynamic. It has developed bespoke waveforms that optimise the dot. That dot is just 3.5pl. And there are two heads per colour – in fact you can have four heads per colour.”
Fujifilm says the Acuity Ultra forms a key part of its industrial strategy, offering
HP debuts dye sublimation with Stitch
HOT PICK: HP Stitch
PRINT21 PANEL: HP enters the digital textile market with its dye sub Stitch, and the company has designed the technology to enable printers new to
the market to confidently produce textile print. Hot Picks are awarded for companies that bring something new to the market that printers can
capitalise on, so the HP Stitch is a deadset award winner.
HP is in the digital garment printing business, launching its new Stitch S series inkjet textile printers at PrintEx.
The dye sublimation printers are aimed
at textile printing for sportswear/fashion, interior décor, and soft signage applications, which are all experiencing healthy growth, says Jeremy Brew, large format application specialist at HP.
“Décor and fashion application trends, on demand production, and personalisation are boosting digital print growth,” he said.
“The digitally printed textiles market is experiencing double-digit annual growth, forecast to reach $5.5 billion by 2023, according to Smithers Pira. We look forward to more digital print transformations being
58 Print21 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
realised with the arrival of the new HP Stitch S series,” he said.
The range includes the HP Stitch S300 64” Printer, the HP Stitch S500 64” Printer, and the HP Stitch S1000 126” Printer. The S300 has the first user-replaceable print heads, and is pitched at printers new to the dye sublimation market. Its speed and ease of use have made it a major asset, according to Teunis Roos from textile print outfit Color Concepts.
“Our experience with HP Stitch S300 has been that it is much easier and faster than other dye sub printers we have previously used,” says Roos. “Most printers require manual action in terms of head maintenance and alignment, but the HP Stitch S300
is more proactive and automated when it comes to performance.” 21
Winner: Jeremy Brew receives a Hot Pick for the HP Stitch S digital textile printer